Multi-component duplex printer

Abstract

A multi-component duplex print is produced on a receiver. Master print engines and slave print engines synchronized to the masters are arranged along the transport path of the receiver with inverters between them. Each inverter has an inverted travel path and a non-inverted travel path, and a difference of a travel time of the receiver in the inverted travel path of each inverter as compared to a travel time of a receiver in the non-inverted travel path of that inverter is adjusted to be an integral multiple of a period between successive receivers. A received job specification designating a first assigned one of the print engines to print on a first assigned side of the receiver. A controller sets the positions of the inverters so the first assigned side of the moving receiver is the corresponding print side of the first assigned print engine.

1 . A method for producing a multi-component duplex print on a receiver member having front and back sides according to a job specification, the method comprising:
 arranging one or more master print engines, one or more slave print engines, and one or more inverters along a transport path of the receiver member, each inverter arranged between a pair of adjacent print engines,
 so that each print engine prints on a corresponding print side of the moving receiver member, and the first print engine along the transport path prints on the front side of the receiver; 
 wherein each master print engine provides a respective timing signal and each inverter is operative to pass the moving receiver member between the corresponding print engines along an inverted travel path when in an invert position and along a non-inverted travel path when in a non-invert position; 
   synchronizing the timing of each slave print engine to the timing of a corresponding master print engine using a controller responsive to the timing signal received from the corresponding master print engine;   adjusting a difference of a travel time of the receiver member in the inverted travel path of each inverter as compared to a travel time of a receiver member in the non-inverted travel path of that inverter to be an integral multiple of a period between successive receiver members;   receiving the job specification designating a first assigned one of the print engines to print on a first assigned side of the receiver member; and   the controller setting the positions of the inverters so the first assigned side of the moving receiver member is the corresponding print side of the first assigned print engine.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the arranging step includes arranging first, second, and third print engines along the transport path with first and second inverters after the first and second print engines, respectively;   the job specification designates the second print engine; and   the setting step includes:
 setting the first inverter to the non-invert position if the first assigned side is the front side of the receiver member, and to the invert position if the first assigned side is the back side of the receiver member; and 
 setting the second inverter to the opposite position from that of the first inverter. 
   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the first and third print engines print using a first marking substance and the second print engine prints using a second marking substance different from the first marking substance. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the arranging step includes arranging first, second, third, and fourth print engines along the transport path with first, second, and third inverters after the first, second, and third print engines, respectively;   the job specification designates the second print engine as the first assigned print engine, and designates the third print engine as a second assigned one of the print engines to print on a second assigned side of the receiver member; and   the setting step includes setting exactly one of the three inverters to the invert position and the remaining two of the three inverters to the non-invert position, or setting the three inverters to the invert position.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the first and fourth print engines print using a first marking substance, the second print engine prints using a second marking substance different from the first, and the third print engine prints using a third marking substance different from the first and second. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the setting step includes a step selected from the group comprising:
 setting the three inverters to the invert position if the first assigned side is the back side and the second assigned side is the front side;   setting only the first inverter to the invert position if the first and second assigned sides are both the back side;   setting only the second inverter to the invert position if the first assigned side is the front side and the second assigned side is the back side; and   setting only the third inverter to the invert position if the first and second assigned sides are both the front side.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the arranging step includes arranging first, second, third, and fourth print engines along the transport path with first and second inverters after the first and third print engines, respectively;   the job specification designates the second print engine as the first assigned print engine, and designates the third print engine as a second assigned one of the print engines to print on the first assigned side of the receiver member; and   the setting step includes:
 setting the first inverter to the non-invert position if the first assigned side is the front side of the receiver member, and to the invert position if the first assigned side is the back side of the receiver member; and 
 setting the second inverter to the opposite position from that of the first inverter. 
   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the first and fourth print engines print using a first marking substance, the second print engine prints using a second marking substance different from the first, and the third print engine prints using a third marking substance different from the first and second. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the arranging step includes arranging first, second, and third print engines along the transport path with an inverter after the second print engine, and disposing a flipper between the first and second print engines effective to flip the moving receiver member so that the second print engine prints on the back side of the receiver member;   the job specification designates the third print engine; and   the setting step includes setting the inverter to the non-invert position if the first assigned side is the back side of the receiver member, and to the invert position if the first assigned side is the front side of the receiver member.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the first and second print engines print using a first marking substance and the third print engine prints using a second marking substance different from the first marking substance. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the print engines are electrophotographic print engines. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the print engines are inkjet print engines. 
     
     
         13 . A method for producing a multi-component print on a receiver member having front and back sides according to a job specification, the method comprising:
 arranging a master print engine, a slave print engine, and an inverter along a transport path of the receiver member, the inverter arranged between the print engines,
 so that each print engine prints on a corresponding print side of the moving receiver member, and the first print engine along the transport path prints on the front side of the receiver; 
 wherein the master print engine provides a respective timing signal and the inverter is operative to pass the moving receiver member between the print engines along an inverted travel path when in an invert position and along a non-inverted travel path when in a non-invert position; 
   synchronizing the timing of the slave print engine to the timing of the master print engine using a controller responsive to the timing signal received from the master print engine;   adjusting a difference of a travel time of the receiver member in the inverted travel path of the inverter as compared to a travel time of a receiver member in the non-inverted travel path of the inverter to be an integral multiple of a period between successive receiver members;   receiving the job specification designating a first assigned one of the print engines to print on a first assigned side of the receiver member, and a second assigned one of the print engines to print on a second assigned side of the receiver member; and   the controller setting the position of the inverter so the first assigned side of the moving receiver member is the corresponding print side of the first assigned print engine and the second assigned side of the moving receiver member is the corresponding print side of the second assigned print engine.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the job specification assigns the first and second sides to be the front side of the receiver member, so that the printer produces a multi-component simplex print. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the job specification assigns the first and second sides to be opposite sides of the receiver member, so that the printer produces a duplex print. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the arranging step further includes arranging a third print engine along the transport path after the second print engine along the transport path so that the third print engine prints on the same side of the moving receiver member as the second print engine along the transport path.